


Tangled Strings, Broken Parts & Inanimate Hearts

by NerdButton



Category: RWBY
Genre: Dorks in Love, F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Winter being a fucking softie and pretending she isn't
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:20:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29385468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdButton/pseuds/NerdButton
Summary: The 'Parables of Penny', as Winter has started to term them in her mind, are amusing and adorable in equal measure; having grown up around people hungry for power and wealth, listening to the easy adventures of a smaller soul are a welcome balm for her own jaded one.Already, she's far too attached to this girl that she's not even had an actual conversation with, and she knows it. Blames it on the job, once again, and the fact that "of course she's going to care about someone in her care."And ignores the little voice at the back of her mind telling her off for the bullshit. It sounds suspiciously like Weiss.Winter is given the task of helping Pietro rebuild Penny, and finds herself becoming a little more invested in that task than she had anticipated.Fluffy fic of Winter catching some feelings for one Miss. Polendina.
Relationships: Background mention of pollination, Penny Polendina/Winter Schnee
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	Tangled Strings, Broken Parts & Inanimate Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo I had a cute idea for these two and I wanted (needed) to write it out. There's not a lot of pfennig content out there, and even less that's focused on them. (Got that ship name from AO3 user "tamales", how cute is it???)
> 
> This is kind of a spin-off/prequel for my fic "Rainbow Pollination", where I have shipped Penny and Winter together and wanted to give that a little more backstory. Namely, as Blake asks _several_ times in that story, exactly how those two ended up together. Neither story need to be read together, but they can be! ;) That said, this story actually focuses mostly on Winter, while Penny is being rebuilt. It's not so much them falling in love, as it is the build-up for it and the first inclinations of Winter maaaaybe catching feelings.
> 
> Considering we haven't actually seen that much of Winter, I went ahead and filled in a little bit of personality for her with things I think would suit her. Think 'Rosa Diaz' with a touch of 'Monica Geller' compulsiveness.
> 
> I also managed to accidentally delete almost 10k words of notes and plot points for Rainbow Pollination and I'm honestly absolutely gutted, so yea. Those next chapters might take a bit longer than I thought. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr! @shallitickleyournerdbutton
> 
> Enjoy!

"Schnee."

"Yes, sir?"

"I want you to help Pietro with rebuilding Penny."

"Oh? I mean, that's fine but... why me?"

"Well, you don't have that 'Specialist' title for decoration, and having only one person who can work on Penny is impractical. And... because I trust you, to both be the right choice _and_ to hold your tongue about anything you learn. The P.E.N.N.Y Project is one of our absolute most classified."

"I understand. I won't let you down, sir."

"I know you won't."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Amity Coliseum floats its way back to Atlas, Winter has already been briefed in significantly more detail about what exactly is comprised by the 'P.E.N.N.Y Project' - and it's much more than she had ever expected. Maybe, even a little bit more than she is capable of helping with, but orders are orders. Also, she's at least a little insulted she hadn't been informed the first time around; having just thought that Pietro did indeed have a daughter, the handful of times Winter had glimpsed the girl kicking around the academy.

She has a job to do, and she'll still do it.

Pietro paces by her side as they wait for the airship to arrive and take them up to Amity not long after it had shown up on the radar, anxious about getting to work on their project. The legs of his chair clack obtrusively against the concrete as he treads back and forth, but Winter wouldn't dare ask him to stop. She can only imagine how he is feeling - there's not a great number of people in her life she cares about, Weiss being the only one to truly come to mind. Maybe Whitley, on a good day.

She knows she doesn't quite understand, and holds her tongue - exactly as Ironwood expects her to.

Whatever rapport that can be forged between the two of them is precious, and necessary for this to be a smooth process; Pietro had been nothing but wary when he was informed that Winter would be assisting with his work this time around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Penny is my daughter - not some weapon for you and your men to go poking and prodding at, James."

"I understand that. But the fact remains that we need her operational, as soon as possible. Winter is more than qualified to assist, and I will remind you that it is Atlas military equipment that allows any of this in the first place."

That hadn't particularly warmed Pietro up any more than he already had been, and Winter had stepped between the two men almost certainly about to escalate the whole conversation.

"Mr. Polendina, I can assure you that I have no intentions of 'poking and prodding' Penny. My only interest is ensuring there is another safeguard against her being damaged again, and anything I learn will go no further than me."

Pietro had simply scanned over Winter, unimpressed by the rigidity to her and her lack of inflection despite her reassurances. Feeling herself bristling at the look, Winter had glanced over to Ironwood - what exactly she expected him to do, she didn't know. But, he had sighed, and taken a step back from the conversation.

"Indeed, it will go no further than Winter. If you wish, I will waive my own involvement in the project in favour of hers."

Pietro gives him a weird look, glancing between Winter and Ironwood, and not missing the fact Winter is doing the same. "What do you mean?"

"You do not want us involved, but we need Penny and I cannot force you. If it is more likely to make you cooperate, then I will step back entirely and leave the project to you and Winter. She will not have to report to me, other than updating on timescales. Would that be more agreeable to you?"

Winter is still looking at Ironwood, an eyebrow raised in question - one she knows is unlikely to be answered. He had ignored her, in favour of meeting Pietro's gaze, who had sighed after a moment and settled slightly in his chair.

"Very well. I will accept Winter's involvement, and _only_ Winter's involvement."

"I understand. Good luck with your work."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thinking back to that whole interaction brings with it a pang of irritation, as she stands lost in her thoughts and trying to tune out Pietro and his incessant pacing.

_"More than qualified," huh? I don't feel at all qualified for any of this._

Not for the first time, she finds herself wishing that the General would actually _ask_ her opinion before deciding on matters involving her. There's absolutely no expectation for him to do so, and she knows that, but it doesn't change the fact she wishes otherwise.

_This is what you wanted. A path of your own._

Sometimes it doesn't always feel like that. It used to.

Not anymore.

When the airship touches down in front of them, the doors haven't even had the chance to open before Pietro is making his way up the ramp impatiently, and Winter follows after him dutifully. Neither of them talk much to one another on the way up to the coliseum, making their way to the arena in similar silence - both having worked on the coliseum within the last few years, and knowing how to navigate it easily enough.

As they predicted, Penny's... remains are still in the centre of the arena where she had been cut down, and Winter pointedly ignores Pietro's tears as she helps him collect everything, loading them respectfully onto a stretcher they had wheeled up with them. Well, that Winter had wheeled up - Pietro too distracted at the time to think about it.

Once done, they return to the airship; Winter silent, and Pietro trying to be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pietro's lab back at the academy isn't as sanitary as Winter would like it to be - and _certainly_ not as sanitary as she keeps her own - but once again, she holds her tongue. Sure, some of it could be from disuse... but those stains of _highly questionable_ origin on the counters strongly suggest otherwise.

_Just ignore it._

_I can't. It's disgusting in here._

_You're going to have to deal with it._

_I. Can't._

_You must._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something settles in Pietro when they're placing the pieces of Penny together on the bed in his lab, snapping him into what Winter can only assume to be his 'work mode', and no more tears are shed by him from then on.

Small mercies. Winter isn't exactly at her most comfortable around crying people, admittedly a little too emotionally-constipated for it.

But stoic people? _That_ she can work with. Most would probably have found the quiet between them both stifling to work under, but it suits her just fine - maybe even going as far as to say she thrives in it. Having grown up in a large, empty house, too much noise around her is a distraction that she's never been quite able to get past; seeking out privacy and solitude more often than not as a result.

The work is interesting, at least.

And absolutely far more complex than she was prepared for, but she's never been one to shy away from learning something new - and she is most certainly learning something new. Biotechnology has never been particularly something she'd had much experience in, being more of a tech and information specialist than anything else.

Penny may be tech, but that's definitely not all she is. Not by a long, _long_ shot.

Honestly, even snooping through the data from Penny's previous model had proven to be slightly more than she could comprehend, and actually seeing it in person hadn't truly made it any less so. She's used to being the smartest in the room wherever she goes, so it's a little humbling.

After a couple weeks work had started putting more pieces of Penny back together again, Pietro warmed up alongside the progress. They'd managed to reformat the information on her old core, and successfully move it to a sturdier, less sliceable version in her new body, just in case - and it had been with no shortage of relief for them both when Pietro was able to confirm that Penny's memories, experiences, and everything else that made her 'Penny' had survived the accident and the move.

Perhaps the hardest, and most nerve-wracking, part had been done - which just left the physical stuff. Winter had expected to be working on a robot with human features; instead, it feels much more like working on a human with metal bones.

_Maybe I should have just become a doctor..._

Penny has senses - _all_ of them - which Winter couldn't quite hide her interest in, even despite her efforts, and that's when the first olive branch of proper conversation is extended between the two scientists who'd, until this point, only spoken when needed.

"Forgive me for being so intruding, but... why would you give her a sense of taste? She doesn't have any need to eat or drink."

Pietro pauses in his work realigning the 'nerves' down Penny's torso - Winter had decided to just use the human anatomy terms for most of Penny's pieces, not knowing how else to call them - and gives her what she can only describe as a 'fatherly look', brushing lightly aside some of Penny's bright red hair. He's still looking down at Penny, even as he answers Winter's question.

"Why wouldn't I? She deserves as full a life as I can give her, and it's one more extra thing I can do to make that happen."

"Fair enough. Can she eat then? If she can taste things?"

"Somewhat. She can certainly drink, and eat softer foods. More solid things can cause problems." Then he laughs, obviously caught in a memory, turning eyes crinkled with amusement towards Winter for the first time since this conversation started. "Didn't stop her swallowing a magnet one day, just to see what would happen. That was a learning day for both of us, when I had to open her up to get it out."

Despite herself, Winter laughs at the ridiculous anecdote. "Why would she do that? What did she think would happen?"

"Honestly? I never got a proper answer, she would start giggling every time I asked and I eventually just let it go."

"I hope you at least warned her not to do it again?"

"I did. The thing is, she doesn't often listen when she's told what to do. Always running off, exploring... She would come back with some right interesting stories sometimes." He sighs, but it's a not-entirely sad sound, putting down the tool he was using and placing his hands in his lap as he looks over towards Winter. "Don't suppose you'd be willing to humour an old man, and listen to some of them?"

It's the first they've spoken, _actually_ spoken since they started working together, and despite herself, Winter is interested in hearing more about what Penny may have gotten herself into. It seems only fair, considering how much work Winter has been putting in to get her back to herself and in one piece again.

"I would."

The smile she receives from Pietro would have been reward enough, but the stories are entertaining too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She can't ignore it, in the end.

Late one night, she sneaks into the lab when Pietro has finally gone to bed and scrubs the place from floor to ceiling.

He thanks her for it the next day, and there's definitely a little sparkle of amusement in his eye as he does so - her internal struggle perhaps not as internal as she had thought it to be.

Not much else is said about it, but he does try to not make so much of a mess going forward for her sanity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something changes, after those two incidences.

A month had passed, her and Pietro working away together all day, every day - just now with a bit less silence as they do so. He had continued sharing stories about his daughter to Winter occasionally, and would play songs that Penny likes other times.

"I like to think she can hear us, that she knows we're here looking after her," he had said, when Winter enquired about the music.

With a small amount of surprise, Winter realises that a fair number of the songs are ones she also likes; it had been what made her ask why he had chosen those ones to play in the first place, and gotten the simple response that Penny enjoys them.

A couple times, when Pietro leaves and it's just Winter and Penny in the room, she sings along with the lyrics. And who knows, maybe Penny _can_ hear her.

Winter is starting to hope that she can.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The 'Parables of Penny', as Winter has started to term them in her mind, are amusing and adorable in equal measure; having grown up around people hungry for power and wealth, listening to the easy adventures of a smaller soul are a welcome balm for her own jaded one.

And more than a couple of them feature tales of a group of Beacon students that are _awfully familar_.

_Seems I've got some questions for Weiss, when I next see her._

They're in the home stretch of - hopefully - getting Penny back on her feet, when she finds out something particularly interesting from an offhand comment made by Pietro - Penny can apparently even dream.

Something that should most certainly not be possible and isn't even understood as a function of organic biology, nevermind _inorganic_ biology. Unable to help herself, she had again intruded on that information with nosey questions; justifying it with the fact that she is here to learn and that's what she's doing.

That's all.

Any personal interest in Penny's humanity is just a result of the job, of course.

"I'm sorry, but did you just say that she has dreams? Like, actual dreams when she's asleep?"

Technically, Penny doesn't quite 'sleep' in the same way that the rest of them do - instead, being something closer to a hibernation mode, from what Winter had understood from Pietro's explanation. But if she can dream?

What difference _is_ there between what Penny is doing, and 'sleeping'?

Pietro looks over Winter's way, with the same little knowing look he's started directing her way when she asks questions like this one, and Winter isn't exactly holding her tongue about enquiring towards him regarding it... More accurately, it's that she doesn't want to ask.

Or hear whatever response might come.

Already, she's far too attached to this girl that she's not even had an actual conversation with, and she knows it. Blames it on the job, once again, and the fact that "of course she's going to care about someone in her care."

And ignores the little voice at the back of her mind telling her off for the bullshit. It sounds suspiciously like Weiss.

"She can, or that's what I've gathered from the information she's told me. Asked me one day about the 'fake memories' she sees when she's asleep, and truthfully nearly made me worry there was something wrong with her before I realised what she was talking about."

Winter hums, going back to the code she had been messing with and tidying up on the holoscreen, trying to not sound too interested when she speaks. It doesn't work, as Pietro smiles her way, still with that glint in his eye.

Winter still ignores it.

"What does she dream about?"

"Lots of things. Me, her friends, other people in her life sometimes. A really strange reoccurring one about dancing grimm. Love. Mostly the usual teenage girl stuff, I believe. Apart from the grimm one, I've never been able to figure out that one. Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

_Love? She dreams about love?_

Winter is still a smart girl, even if she's not the smartest in the room right now, and knows better than to ask that question out loud.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winter hovers by Pietro's side as he brings Penny back online, watching him give yet another piece of his soul away to his daughter, nerves heavy in her stomach and hoping, _praying_ , that this works. That it hasn't all just been a failed experiment. That she isn't going to have to stand here and listen to Pietro's heart breaking.

That she isn't going to be just as upset as he will be.

Nothing happens for a long moment, and Winter doesn't even notice how hard she's breathing as she waits. Fortunately, neither does Pietro, as he doesn't look away from Penny for a second. There's nothing in this world that would be able to take his attention right now, other than his baby.

But, then... Penny's eyelids flicker.

It's a small thing, but enough to have both of them teetering forward and closer towards her. If Pietro notices Winter leaning a little too close over his shoulder, he doesn't mention it, instead squeezing the hand of Penny's he's holding and leaning in to stroke a hand against her cheek.

"Penny..?"

At the sound of her name, Penny's eyes scrunch up - the first real response they get from her that she really, truly _can_ hear them. The little power sign by her throat flashes - once, then twice - before lighting up and staying that way and Pietro sobs from his place by the bedside when Penny turns to look at him, a sad smile on her face when she sees him.

"Dad... I'm sorry..."

Pietro lifts the hand he's holding, pressing a soft kiss to Penny's knuckles and holding her still slightly-limp hand to his cheek.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, baby girl. I'm just glad you're home now."

Winter watches this whole interaction, ignoring the way her throat feels tight in favour of looking over Penny. She's still somewhat sluggish, but Pietro had said she most likely would be for a little while once she woke back up and was adjusting to her new body.

She absolutely does not startle when Penny's gaze drifts from Pietro, up to meet Winter's eyes - confusion crinkling her brow as she takes in Winter standing there by her bed.

"Um, dad..?"

"Yes, baby?"

"There's an angel behind you."

And Winter absolutely _does not_ flush at the innocent words, directed unmistakably at her. Nor Pietro's own ones that follow after Penny's, a soft laugh in his voice and sounding so much lighter than Winter has heard from him in the months they've been working together.

"I suppose in some ways she is. She did help me rebuild you, after all."

Pietro moves slightly from his position between both girls, motioning for Winter to come closer to Penny's bed and holding out Penny's hand in his own for Winter to take instead; which she does, giving it a soft shake in greeting.

"Penny, darling... This is Winter."

And Winter isn't sure why she did it, all that she knows is she did - lifting the hand she is holding and placing a kiss to the knuckles there, just as Pietro had done when Penny first woke.

"Hello, Penny. It's nice to finally meet you."

Penny giggles at Winter kissing her hand, staring up in awe at the 'angel' by her bed openly with a grin, and speaking what may very well be the cutest 'hello' Winter has ever heard.

"Salutations, Winter."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many people have spent time trying to thaw their way into the 'Ice Queen's heart over the years. So many people, trying and failing, that it had become something of a joke amongst the military personnel of Atlas that she doesn't actually have one.

And then along came Penny, who did it without even having to try.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~

~~~

Bonus scene, when team RWBIY find out that Winter actually helped rebuild Penny:

"Isn't that a bit weird, you helped make her then went on to date her?"

"You're literally in a five-way relationship involving two sisters, Weiss."

"You don't need to be a bitch about it. I was just asking."

Pietro, upon overhearing this conversation, decides to wander over and come to Winter's defence. "In fairness, I don't think you ever really had much of a choice in the matter, Winter - Penny seemed to set her sights on you from the moment she woke up and saw you standing there, and rather literally if I recall correctly."

"That's..."

"... strangely wholesome."

"Yep, sounds like Penny to me."

**Author's Note:**

> Notes for the story:  
> *SPOILERS FOR NEWEST RWBY EP - VOL. 8 EP. 8, "DARK"*  
> Klein says about Penny that "her basic anatomy is close enough that I can at least stitch up that wound", which makes me believe Penny has a fair level of human features and likeness, anatomy-wise. I believe that Pietro would have made an effort to give her proper senses - taste, touch, scent - that she might not necessarily need but would allow her to live a more full life, as well as probably the potential to consume at least some human foodstuffs. And as far as relationships and stuff go... I think he would have kept it in mind when he made her. And no, I don't think it's weird for him to do something like that - he clearly loves her a lot and most parents want their kids to have happy, meaningful, and fulfilling relationships with people in their lives and I don't doubt he would simply want the same for his baby. He wouldn't want her to be 'othered' any more than she already would be, if he could help it. 
> 
> As always with my stories, let me know what you think with a kudos or comment! :)


End file.
